Katie Couric scored the best daytime talk-show debut in a decade on Monday. The national ratings for the former CBS News anchor and “Today” host dwarfed the chat show competition, ranking No. 1 or No. 2 in most of the metered markets. It was the best daytime bow since Dr. Phil (2002); there have been 25 other talk-show attempts since then.

In Denver, where she airs at 3 p.m. on KMGH, the debut had only a minor impact. Local viewers stayed loyal to “Ellen” at 3 p.m. on KUSA, giving Ellen DeGeneres a 0.8 rating and 7.5 share (or percent of the viewing audience), to Katie Couric’s 0.2 rating, 2.1 share. However, CBS coverage of the U.S. Open tennis tournament on KCNC won the hour, garnering a 0.9 rating, 8.1 share from 3-4 p.m.

“Wendy Williams” managed a 0.1 rating, 1.3 share on KTVD. “Judge Judy” scored a 0.4 rating, 3.6 share for KDVR.
Less tennis and more numbers will give a clearer picture in coming days.

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Joanne Ostrow has been watching TV since before "reality" required quotation marks. "Hill Street Blues" was life-changing. If Dickens, Twain or Agatha Christie were alive today, they'd be writing for television. And proud of it.